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“Of course, we will. And once you get home, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“While we’re at it, I would love a foot massage and maybe a manicure. I can’t reach my feet anymore.”
“Consider it done.”
We hung up after confirming dinner plans. Allie was so much more thanmy best friend. She was my wife, my husband, and my personal organizer at the same time. I owed her for every lie we told to keep this pregnancy a secret. The cab driver pulled up to the curb of the skyscraper, and I felt my stomach drop. This was it; I had to do this. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
The smell of exhaust mixed with freshly cut grass tickled my nose as I made my way toward the building. I had a pep to my step until a family caught my eye and I stopped in my tracks. My heart was racing, and the city sounds around me twisted into one continuous hum. At the corner of the street, there was James, pushing a stroller with Tiffany beside him, and Kensi walking with them, laughter spilling from their mouths.
It was the dream moment I had been longing for, but it wasn’t mine. It was also exactly what I had never expected. My research and snooping confirmed they weren’t together, but there they were. Together. All too soon, they walked out of view and the spell was broken. Yet, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t push my feet forward to tell him, or at least go upstairs and leave a note in his office.
A wave of pain washed over me, followed quickly by panic as water leaked down my legs. A moment later, the first contraction paralyzed my limbs and I knew this was it. My baby was coming.
SNEAK PEEK: SILVER FOX
CHAPTER 1: LAURA
I searched through the colorful rack of costumes for the perfect Halloween dinosaur outfit. Not for me. For my son. Three years ago, motherhood hadn’t been near my radar, but neither was James Silver, the man who knocked me up. Three years later, with a badge on my chest and a best friend for a partner, I was rocking single parenting like Mary Poppins.
“I found it.” Allie removed a furry brown onesie with a white-tipped tail. “It’s perfect for Foxy.”
“No more foxes. He’s got a fox toothbrush, PJ, slippers, and bed sheets. It’s enough. Foxy needs to get into normal things, like dinosaurs.”
“Because dinosaurs are missing from his life.”
That tone.
Allie’s judgment carried far, but we’d gone through this before. Foxy’s father could never be in his life. I dropped my arms to the sides and swiveled on my foot, facing my best friend. The stink-eye she gave me fueled an urge to rescind her godmother title.
“Your mother called—checking to see if you’re alive. She hasn’t heard from you in six months.”
Maybe it wasn’t about Foxy’s father after all.
“Did you tell her I’m alive?”
“No, I told her she can find you at Evergreen Memorial. Of course I told her you’re alive, and I told her Foxy’s doing great too.”
She wouldn’t.
My throat seized. “You didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t, but it’s about time you told her she’s a grandmother. Your father would be happy as well.”
“Not happening. I’m not giving my son a grandmother who sends a hundred bucks for his birthday instead of hugging him. No thanks.”
“Laura…” She touched my shoulder. “They say a grandmother’s love is unlike any other. And since you’re a mother now, you have more in common.”
“You think that because your mother is great. She gives you love, and you give her…safety and tequila. All I ever gave my parents were gray hairs.”
“My mother’s a mess just like yours. Maybe a different kind of a mess, but still a mess. Point is, she should know. Maybe she’d surprise you.”
I sighed. “I’ll think about it, but that’s all I can promise. Now, help me find a costume. Our morning break is almost over.”
Allie scanned the remaining rack of Halloween costumes. Who was I kidding? I could never rescind her godmother title. She was the best, and she was correct. As screwed up as our family dynamics were, they were still my family, and I missed them. Except, my parents had expectations I couldn’t meet. Their disappointment carried all the way from Manhattan and their home in the Hamptons. Avoiding the doctor duo was a challenge, but easier accomplished from further away.
So, I’d kept my pregnancy to myself and now thrived as a single mother. Changing things up wasn’t on the calendar, and Allie confirmed I was alive whenever she answered my mother’s calls.
She picked a dinosaur costume, dangling the monstrosity in the air. “A T-Rex with plastic claws. You could poke a kid’s eye out.”
